The Prey
by Ashtoreth Astarte
Summary: The Joe women are targeted by an unknown enemy with an agenda for one of them in particular.
1. Baiting for Time

TITLE:The Prey   
  
Author:Lady Shahrazad  
  
Distribution:List Archives, http://ladyjaye.topcities.com, www.jwa.dreamstation.com, and www.fanfiction.net  
  
Feedback:Please...  
  
Chapter:1/?  
  
Rating:PG-13  
  
Disclaimer:Hasbro, Marvel & Sunbow Own The Rights To The Joes. Gabriel, Donovan, and Maude are mine.  
  
***********************  
  
Baiting for Time  
  
Running headfirst through a night void of any traces of moonlight, Scarlett barreled into the unknown darkness, stumbling over the roots and crags of the rocky moors off the loch. She could hear the pack of hounds eagerly tracking her scent through the night. "Destro," she cursed his name and ran faster, batting low lying branches from her limited line of vision.   
  
Deftly navigating her way through the darkened moors, she fought down her trepidation at the sight of gnarled branches taking on otherworldly forms. A screeching sound shattered the night, startling her. Scarlett caught her breath in her chest and held it, waiting. Ducking low, she scanned the area, attempting to disseminate the source of the screech while tiny pinpricks rose along her skin. "Get it together, girl," she admonished herself. "You made it this far."   
  
Gulping away any apprehension, she refocused her eyes, ignoring the shadows blending together. The tree branches above her shook, sending dried leaves and twigs down on her. Shaking her head, Scarlett barely saw it in time to react. An owl burst forth with a harrowing shriek from a gnarled branch. Its' golden eyes blazing down at her.   
  
With lightening reflexes, Scarlett raised her arms protectively to her head and dodge forward beneath its talons. Her boot caught on a jutting root sending her falling face forward where she landed on her forearms with a painful thud. "Ugh." Scarlett drew a sharp breath as she gingerly raised her head, inhaling bits of dry leaves mixed with dirt which she furiously spat out, wiping the decayed matter from her mouth with the sleeve of her uniform.   
  
"Have to get away...can't let them catch me," she urged herself onward, grimacing as a mind numbing pain crept up from her stunned forearms when forced to bear her weight. Closing her eyes to ward away the pain, she bowed her head forward to concentrate on the sound of the hounds approaching. "They're too close," Scarlett whispered, shifting her focus to the nocturnal sounds of the moor. "Water? Where?" She heard the lapping of fast running water, rolling against the bank of the large creek and slowly turned her head, locating it a short distance to her right. "They can't track me though the water," Scarlett painfully groaned, pulling herself up by her elbows. She cursed her luck under her breath while crawling beneath a fallen tree to hide from her pursuers. The rushing water beckoned her.  
  
Silently, Scarlett crept forward, guiding herself with her outstretched hands since she was now completely blinded by the darkness. Feeling the wet earth beneath her hands, she quickened her pace, often dragging her body through the underbrush. She exhaled a pent breath as she cleared it and turned to rest her back against another fallen tree. "Where is it?" She cautiously peered over the tree, barely leaning forward. "Wha-" Scarlett felt the earth give way beneath her weight, sending her tumbling down the bank and into the dark, icy waters.   
  
Surfacing several feet from the bank, she whipped her hair back and cleared the remaining strands from her eyes with her fingers. She held her breath, immediately noticing the hounds circling the area, searching for a scent they could no longer find.   
  
"'ave ye found tha lass?!?" Destro's Sergeant Major yelled out to the huntsman in charge of the hounds.   
  
"Nay, there be no sign of 'er. We lost 'er." The stocky huntsman shook his head and reached for his dog whistle to summon them and paused at the sight of the Sergeant Major gesturing behind him towards the opposite bank.  
  
"Gather yer hounds, man," the Sergeant Major ordered. "We'll move to the other side and see if we can pick up 'er trail."   
  
"Phew," Scarlett sighed. She stretched her arm out and carefully pulled a piece of driftwood over to her. Using the toes of her boots, she cautiously propelled herself out further from the bank, feeling her way through the water to distance herself from her pursuers as she attempted to count them. She could hear voices coming from several directions.  
  
"How many are there?" Scarlett murmured under her breath, catching a pair of shadowy figures emerging from the mist settling along the bank.   
  
"O'er here Duncan!" She listened to her pursuers before plunging under the dark waters.  
  
"Where's the Calvary when you need them?" Scarlett muttered, resurfacing behind the driftwood that she now clung to for dear life. Feeling the coldness creep into her bones, she lowered herself to the water line at the sight of search lanterns up ahead of her. The creek was now raging as merged with other swollen waterways. A thick, heavy mist descended across the lay of the land, aiding her in her escape.   
  
Scarlett held onto the driftwood until it neared a fallen tree he released the log, sending it forth as she grappled for a fallen tree along the riverbank, pulling herself into its branches, cloaking her from her hunters.  
  
"We've lost 'er trail, Duncan," she heard a man report, walking past her hiding spot.  
  
"No one finds a dry bed tonight 'til she's found. The laird wants 'er found dead or alive, preferably alive," Duncan growled. "Damn foolish woman," he hissed through gritted teeth, clenching his fists tightly to his sides for a moment before grabbing the back of one grenadier's shirt. "Search the basin!" He shoved the man forward.  
  
Scarlett floundered beneath raised roots and weeds, attempting to avoid the lanterns. The sounds of footsteps crunching dead branches and squishing into the soft mud of the bank halted her progress.   
  
"Shh...easy lass, we be friends, 'ere ta 'elp." She heard an old woman calling to her. "Come lass, ye look a fright," the old woman continued as a pair of strong hands reached out of no where, hauling Scarlett from the brush. Scarlett struggled in vain for a brief moment.   
  
"The laird's men won't rest 'til they find 'er," a man's deep voice echoed in her ear. "Ye best stop fightin' me lass." The man pulled her back, concealing them from the lanterns. "Ah...you'll not be needin' tha," the man scolded her as she fumbled for a knife on her hip. Wretching her arm behind her, he forced her down before seizing a rag from the old woman. Scarlett fought back, kicking the heels of her boots into the ground for leverage as he covered her mouth and nose with the rag.   
  
Scarlett's eyes blinked, her focus became obscured as the old woman's smiling face drifted in and out.   
  
"Donovan, pick 'er up an' come quickly 'fore they find us. The master wants 'er alive." The old woman's voice droned in Scarlett's ears as she lost consciousness.  
  
***********************   
  
"Any word on Scarlett?" Duke walked up to Dialtone who was manning the communications console.   
  
"Ah...n...no Sir?" Dialtone sputtered, fumbling with the buttons and dials in front of him. "She hasn't ch..checked in since yesterday morning." He settled, feeling Duke's hand clasped over his shoulder.  
  
"Let me know as soon as she reports in." Duke leveled his words before releasing Dialtone's shoulder. "This isn't like her. She should have checked in," Duke thought, turning on his heel towards the control room door.  
  
"Ah...Duke, sir?" Dialtone called out, stopping Duke in his tracks.  
  
"What is it, Dialtone?" Duke reluctantly answered.  
  
"Cover G...girl missed her last check in," the communications officer reached for his report to hand over to his commanding officer. "We're still waiting on Lady Jaye...."  
  
"Wait, first you tell me Scarlett's missing, then Cover Girl and now you're telling me that LADY JAYE is missing too?" Duke growled, snatching the proffered report from Dialtone's shaking hands.  
  
"No, I-ah mean, she's on vacation," Dialtone stammered. "I called to get the time her flight's due in for Flint. Still waiting for her to get back to me," he fidgeted in his seat, spinning it back towards the console when Duke seized the back of the chair.  
  
"Where was Cover Girl before SHE disappeared?" Duke growled releasing Dialtone's chair. "Well?" Duke pressed before shuffling through the pages of the file. "Dialtone?"  
  
"She was picking up the new Wolverine," Mainframe interrupted. Stepping over to them, he continued. "Cover Girl said there was a problem with the weapons control panel inside when she tested it and had to check with the engineers. She was supposed to call back once the problem was settled."  
  
"What time was that?" Duke shifted his gaze to Dialtone and waited, noticing he was lost in thought, perhaps trying to recall the time. Duke inhaled a deep breath, slowly expelling it as he got in Dialtone's face. "Dialtone?"  
  
"Four m...maybe fi...ve hours ago?" Dialtone hesitated, shrugging his shoulders. He gulped at the sight of Duke's face taking on a heated flush. Hearing a deep growl emanating from the back of Duke's throat, Dialtone jumped from his seat, clearing Duke's path to the console. "Flint to the control room now...Flint control room, NOW! Dialtone, call and find out what time Cover Girl's due back!"  
  
"What's going on?" Flint ran into the control room full speed, sliding to a stop behind Duke.  
  
"Where's Lady Jaye?" Duke clutched the report tightly in his hands.  
  
"Ah...on a safari with her Aunt, why?" Flint scratched his head, adjusting his beret.  
  
"I need to know exactly where she is and when she's coming back." Duke shoved the report into Flint's hands. "Scarlett's missing and... Dialtone did you get the base on the line, yet?" His eyes narrowed on the paled expression of the communication officer's face. "What's happened?"   
  
"The engineer...they found him dead," Dialtone stammered. "No one's seen her."  
  
***********************   
  
"Who the hell do you think you are?" Cover Girl struggled to get free of her captors. "Let go of me you fuckin' morons!" She spat, kicking along the dark corridor. "You wouldn't be so damn cocky if I had my hands free."  
  
"Easy wi' 'er, the master doesn't want them harmed," she heard one of the men growl before cutting her hands free and shoving her into the darkness. She stumbled over a sleeping form. Picking herself up from dirt floor, she brushed herself off and headed for the door.   
  
"All right how many of you are there?" Cover Girl stood tiptoe to the heavy wooden door, lifting herself higher with her boots and fingertips. "Ouch," she hissed dropping back down, bringing her fingers to her lips. "Shit...of all the times to get a fuckin' splinter!" She heard a low humming and looked around for the source. "Arghh..." The cell was flooded with a blinding light. "What the hell is your problem first you blindfold me so I can't see now---huh?" Cover Girl focused on the form she had tripped over, gently rolling it over to face her. "SCARLETT! What did you do to her?" Cover Girl roared, scanning her teammate's condition. Her uniform was torn and dirty. Cover Girl brushed her hair from her eyes, noticing the scratches on her face and the brambles in her long red hair. Beads of perspiration were forming over her face. "She's burning up! She needs a doctor!" She screamed into a camera above them in the corner of the cell.  
  
"You fool! She's not there!" The master roared into the view screens of the security station. Clutching a handful of photos, he raised them to Dovovan, his chief of security, as he spun around and stood, towering over the man. "How hard is it for you to find the ONE woman I have spent a lifetime searching for? How difficult is it for you to find her?" The master flung an arm out to an unfinished portrait he'd been working on day and night. "I want her! Bring her to me!" He roared slamming the photos into Donovan's chest and sending him falling back. Donovan staggered to keep from falling while watching his master near the portrait.  
  
"Yes, master, but you told us to stage it so COBRA took the blame for her disappearance. The Joes will be too busy searching for their women to notice us," Donovan defended. "I have men in place to mislead the Joes...to lay the blame at COBRAs door. If we grab the Joe women, one by one and stage it so that it appears...."  
  
"They're of no consequence to me you bloody fool!" The master lunged forward, seizing Donovan by the throat and lifting him up."  
  
"Master, please," Donovan pleaded, clawing his fingers over his master's hands. "I...have a plan..." He struggled for air.  
  
The master dropped him to the ground and grabbed him by the hair, forcing Donovan to meet his eyes.  
  
"I...I have a team... in the area now... ready to bring your lady to you," Donovan stated through ragged breaths. "Please give me a chance. We can distract the Joes."  
  
"Deal with them as you will but know this should you fail me once more and it will be your last," the master sneered at Donovan, shaking him from his grasp and sending him back.   
  
"Yes sir," Donovan murmured a fearful reply before crawling up to his security desk. His hand paused over his gun laying in a draw as he studied the two women in the cell. "I know just how to handle them." Drawing his hand away, she fixed his eyes on Cover Girl who was hovering over Scarlett. "She's not trying to saving herself, why?" He wondered, flipping the controls to maneuver the camera in on Cover Girl's face for a close up. "She doesn't show her fear to the other...they've some sort of a bond." He shook his head at the thought. "If the lady is one of them, she's got to have a bond with these two," he garbled under his breath, roving his eye over to his master standing before the unfinished portrait. "Master?" Donovan tentatively ventured.   
  
"DONOVAN? What are you waiting for? I told you to handle them, didn't I?" The master looked up with his brush in hand, faltering a stroke above the canvas and sending a trickle of paint obscuring it. "Look what you've made me do!" The master hissed, reaching for the thinner. His anger dissipated into deep concern as he proceeded to correct his error. "I still can't do justice to your eyes, my dearest." With patience and care, he diligently removed the excess paint and steeled himself to address Donovan. "What were you babbling about?"  
  
"Master?"   
  
"What is it, NOW?" He whipped around suddenly.  
  
"What if we use the women as bait for your lady?" Donovan shrunk back, waiting for his master's wrath to be unleashed upon him. Cowering to the side, he was stunned at the sudden shift in his employer's demeanor. A cold calculating smile played upon his mouth.   
  
"Bait...hmmm...an excellent idea." The master stepped back, gazing at his work. "Would you come willingly to me this time, my love? I think you would." He smirked, appraising her eyes. His fingers caressed the dry edges of the canvas. "Make sure they're well cared for or my love will not be happy with you." He warned Donovan before returning to his painting, taking his brush to his pallet blending the colors just so to get the right shade to compliment her complexion.   
  
"Yes, master." Donovan left to check on the women.  
  
***********************   
  
"All right...what's the last time we had a report from ANY of them?" Hawk pounded the conference room table, locking eyes with his men.  
  
"Scarlett radioed she was out of Castle Destro late last night." Duke slid a copy of the report across the table.  
  
"And Cover Girl?" Hawk scowled. "When's the last time someone laid eyes on her?"  
  
"A guard reported seeing her enter the lab; but, no one saw her leave." Mainframe produced another report. "I have to help the others track Lady Jaye." The computer specialist stood and nodded towards the conference room door.  
  
"What's going on with her?" Hawk narrowed his eyes on Mainframe.   
  
"Nothing that we know of sir." Mainframe gulped, willing the General's stare from him. He breathed a note of relief when Hawk turned away from him.   
  
"Stay right there." Hawk ordered Mainframe from the corner of his eye, halting his departure. Mainframe sank back down into his seat and reached for a pencil. "Flint?"  
  
"I'm supposed to get her from the airport when she returns on Sunday but I don't know the flight number. Sir, if Destro had Scarlett we'd have heard something through the grapevine. Our sources would have gotten word to us. I realize Cover Girl's disappearance is the troubling one here but I'd suggest we give Scarlett a few more hours. She may be lying low to avoid detection." Flint interjected, handing another stack of reports over to Hawk.  
  
"It's not like her." Duke stood, bracing his knuckles on the table under him. He shook his head pensively. "Something's wrong...I can feel it."   
  
"Send a recovery team in to pick her up Scarlett." Hawk took a deep breath, drumming his fingers on the table. The men watched him slowly raise his hand to his chin, holding it for a moment while his eyes surveyed the room. "Flint, take a unit and comb through that lab. I want Cover Girl found ASAP. Finding the engineer dead doesn't look good for her. Make sure you leave nothing unturned."  
  
***********************   
  
Cover Girl silently moved towards the door the moment she heard the sounds of approaching footsteps. Standing to the side of the door, she reached for her club, a makeshift weapon, she'd fashioned from a cot in the corner of the cell. Raising it above her head, poised to strike, she hesitated at the voice she heard commanding her.  
  
"Move away from tha door lass an' no one will be 'armed," an old woman called to her. "I come bearing food to break yer fast. I also have medicine for tha' other lass."   
  
"Yeah, right!" Cover Girl shouted, backing away from the door. "First they shove us in this pit and now they want to make us all.... comfortable?" Cover Girl's eyes widened at the sight of the old woman pushing the door open and noticed the old woman's arms were laden with clothing. She watched as the old woman nodded to a man behind her carrying a tray to enter the cell.  
  
"Donovan's a good lad." The old woman assured Cover Girl as she moved past her to Scarlett. "Aye...yer looking much better than ye were last I saw ye." The old woman smiled, leaning over Scarlett. "Donovan set the tray on the table and tell yer guards to stay out there," she scowled. "They'll not run...not with the fever settin' in on this one." The old woman reasoned, reaching into her basket for her medicines. "Now, I know this'll make ye want to hide...but it'll help break the fever." Cover Girl watched the old woman raising a pair of scissors to Scarlett and lunged forward to stop her.   
  
"No!" Cover Girl felt a pair of hands around her waist lifting her away. "Put me down you son of a..."  
  
"Maude's here to help her. She won't hurt her," Donovan said, dragging Cover Girl back as she thrashed.  
  
"Bullshit, you people locked us..." Cover Girl stopped midsentence at the sound of fabric ripping. "HEY!" She yelled at Maude ripping open Scarlett the shirt of Scarlett's uniform.  
  
"This be an ointment to chase tha fever from 'er lungs," Maude supplied, presenting a thick ointment on her hand to Cover Girl before smearing it over Scarlett's upper chest, along her collarbone and shoulders.   
  
"Oh my God, that smells..." Cover Girl choked back a gasp of air. "If that fever doesn't kill her, that stuff will kill us both."  
  
"Tha smell will wear off shortly lass. See if something 'ere will fit her." Maude pointed to the pile of clothing. "The master has ordered yer ta be kept comfortable 'til 'is lady comes."  
  
"His lady? You mean to tell me the nut in charge of this looney bin is taking orders from some chick who had enough sense to get the hell out of here?" Cover Girl cut the old woman an incredulous glare over a blouse she held in her hands. "This should fit her." Cover Girl settled down next to Scarlett and noticed Donovan watching them. Whipped around to face him, she snarled. "You turn around or get the hell out of here; this isn't a peep show for per--"  
  
"Ye best hold yer tongue lass. Make no mistake Master Gabriel is only keepin' you comfortable 'til she arrives. Ye can thank Donovan yer still alive. Now mind me now ye will be treated as a guest so long as ye behave yer selves. Don't be tryin' ta run cause he'll jus make ye wish he'd killed ye." Cover Girl lowered herself on to the remains of the cot to plan her next move. "How am I supposed to get her out of here in one piece?" She thought tracing patterns in the dirt floor with a stick. She sighed taking watch over Scarlett tossing in her sleep.  
  
***********************   
  
"Master the women are settled." Donovan cautiously approached him from behind looking over his shoulder to gauge his progress. "A remarkable likeness, sir." He nodded, waiting for Gabriel to set away from his latest masterpiece. "Shall I hang it with the others when it's dry?" He opened his palm to receive his master's brush and pallet to place them in a cleaning solution in the dark room off to side of them.  
  
"No, this one shall hang in my room so that I see her the moment I wake." Satisfied he had captured her essence on the canvas; he lifted it high above his head turning. "Donovan, hurry I want you to personally see to this. Do not let the others handle it."  
  
"I'm coming, Sir," Donovan called from the dark room. "I'm getting your photos for you." He carefully gathered them together from the drying area. Gingerly setting them in a file, he returned presenting them for approval.  
  
"Ah, yes." Gabriel smiled, his eyes brightened as he opened the file lifting the first picture. "Soon my love...soon we'll be together." He turned heading off to his study once again. "Donovan, make sure you're careful with her." He stopped, resting one hand on the railing of the stairs to look down at him with the portrait.  
  
"Yes, master." Donovan bowed slightly, walking from the room. "I pray you know only happiness here my lady," he sighed wistfully on his way with the portrait of the green-eyed woman he'd come to know so well.  
  
***********************   
  
  
  
"Flint, what did you find?" Hawk bellowed from across the table.  
  
"Not a thing," he held a file in his hand. "Who's ever got her didn't leave a trace of anything for us to find." Flint passed his report over to Hawk. "We found nothing to indicate COBRA had a direct hand in this. She's disappeared without a trace. I have men at the airports, bus, and train terminals now."   
  
"How could she just vanish?" Hawk grumbled outloud, examining Flint's report. All were dumbfounded looking to each other for the answer. Hawk looked up from the report to Duke. "Any word on Scarlett?"  
  
"No, sir, she's..."  
  
"Vanished?" Hawk tightened his hold on the file he held raising it up and tossing it across to Duke. "Get another team together. I want a different set of eyes on this...find Cover Girl, ASAP. I have a gut wrenching feeling if we don't move fast we won't recover either Cover Girl or Scarlett." He lowered his forehead to his hand, shaking his head to wonder, "How could they vanish without a trace...who has them?"  
  
***********************   
  
"About time you woke up." Cover Girl sprang to her feet, helping Scarlett to pull herself up.  
  
"Wh...where are we?"  
  
"I don't know. I was going over a problem with my new Wolverine when a guy burst into the lab and lobbed a gas grenade at me. The last thing I saw was the engineer standing up to the guy." She grimaced, recalling the engineer being thrown across the lab before she lost consciousness. "My head's still hurting from that and *sniff sniff * God, you need a bath. You smell like something Junkyard dragged in." Cover Girl covered her nose with one hand while waving the air with the other.  
  
"And I suppose you smell like a bunch of roses?"   
  
"At least I don't smell like..."  
  
"Ladies...ladies...please settle down," Gabriel's voice boomed in the cell.  
  
"Who the hell are you and why are you keeping us locked up?" Cover Girl spun around trying to locate the source of the sound.  
  
"I am merely your host. I assure you no harm will come to you...that is so long as my lady returns to me."  
  
"Oh, Great! Look Romeo, I don't know about your LADY but I'm telling you I want out of this damn cell, NOW! Have you smelled her?" Cover Girl gestured to Scarlett a few feet from her.  
  
"Maude will be in shortly to take you to your rooms. You will be treated as my guests so long as you choose to obey me."   
  
"Now wait a second," Cover Girl began to protest.  
  
"I suggest you consider the offer carefully, my dear. It will not be made a second time. Now, if you prefer to stay in there, that can be-"  
  
"No wait! We'll cooperate!" Scarlett struggled to stand.  
  
"Ah, so you would be the sensible one?" Gabriel chuckled. "Fine. Maude will be in to take you to your rooms. Be warned ladies, I will not tolerate further disruptions in my household."  
  
Scarlett shot a warning glare to Cover Girl. "Understood, right, Cover Girl?"  
  
"Yeah. Sure." Cover Girl folded her arms and crashed onto the mattress hitting the mattress to the side on her for Scarlett to join her. "Hey, stinks over here!"  
  
"When we get out of here," Scarlett mumbled, plopping down beside her, "we're going to have a serious discussion about your attitude."  
  
"Yeah, I bet." Cover Girl rolled her eyes. "So, what now, oh fearless leader?"  
  
"Well for starters, my guess is that we're bait. You heard him. We're safe until 'his lady' returns." Scarlett pulled her knees to her chest non-chalantly inspecting her torn leggings.  
  
"So, what we wait for this chick to show up?" Cover Girl nudged her.  
  
"No, we wait for an opening. Don't look above us...the cameras are scanning our every move," Scarlett whispered. "Call it a hunch but if ol' Romeo is going to go to all this trouble to nab us and keep us under watch 24/7. I can only imagine what's outside that door."  
  
"All right, we'll play it your way for now," Cover Girl groaned. "But I'm telling you, one more of those morons lays a fuckin' hand on me I'm feeding it to him."  
  
"Ohhhh, you're scaring me...keep quiet. Someone's coming." Scarlett hissed, pushing Cover Girl off the cot. They cringed at the sound of the wooden door roughly swinging open. Their eyes settled on the doorway where the old woman, Maude, stood with several men behind her.  
  
"You were saying?" Cover Girl glared at Scarlett. 


	2. Just Visiting

Chapter 2: Just Visiting  
  
"Hey, take it easy pal!" Cover Girl winced, feeling the bonds on her wrists cutting into her skin. The guard behind her sneered, tugging her wrists painfully higher behind her back until she was nearly walking on her toes down a well-lit corridor.   
  
She arched her head back tilting her chin up defiantly to look at him. She was tall at 5' 11" but he was taller, maybe 6' 5" with a ruddy complexion and black hair, a stark contrast to the man behind them. Donovan was about her height, mouse brown hair with hazel eyes and a fair complexion. He was lean, not bulky like the guard holding her. Maybe that was why he told the guard to take her. She could have gotten leverage against Donovan even with her hands bound behind her; then again, she didn't know where they were and Scarlett wasn't in any shape to make a break for it.  
  
"Slow down, Rory," Cover Girl heard Donovan call out.   
  
She glanced quickly to Donovan to see Scarlett leaning heavily on his arm. The guard holding Cover Girl's wrists jerked her forward, bellowing, "Move!" His face showed nothing but contempt when he looked at her through narrowed eyes. In the back of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder when she'd get a chance to pay him back for the kindness he was now showing her. She smirked at the idea of planting her fist in his smug face.  
  
"Watch your step," Donovan said, catching Scarlett as she stumbled over the corner of a raised stone in the floor. He knew she was weak from exposure. Resting one arm around her for support, Donovan guided her behind Cover Girl until he could pass her to another guard. He watched Cover Girl struggling against her bonds while Rory jerked her back and then upwards. He could tell she was hiding her pain until her foot slipped sending her down on one knee. Before Rory could haul her back up, Donovan yelled. "Rory! Let go of her, now! The master was specific. They're not to be harmed. They're our guests until..."  
  
"Guests?" Cover Girl sneered, narrowing her eyes on Donovan. "Where the hell do you get off with that line of..." She stopped, biting her lower lip as Rory tugged her wrists up, bringing her to her feet. "If my hands weren't tied, you sick, sadistic, son of a bitch." She bit each word, struggling to find her footing.  
  
"She's a hellcat." Rory snorted, shoving her ahead of him.   
  
"She's still not to be harmed." Donovan growled, stepping in front of them as she tripped. He caught her by the shoulders, setting her down on the ground. "Damn it, Rory, the master's not going to be happy. Look at her wrists!" Donovan fumed, reaching for a knife. "I'm trusting you not to pull anything," he warned Cover Girl, preparing to slice the bonds. "Do I have your word?" He waited, noticing her eyes dart to Scarlett's.  
  
"Yeah," Cover Girl whispered, closing her eyes tightly at the pressure of the knife against her bonds.  
  
"Good then." Donovan nodded, slipping the blade of the knife up against the ropes that held her. With several rough and tug strokes of the knife, he released her hands only to catch them and turn them over for examination. Her wrists were swollen and raw. "Maude will see to your wrists once you're in your rooms. Come." He pulled Cover Girl up to her feet.  
  
"Rooms?" Scarlett and Cover Girl looked at one another in confusion.  
  
"Aye, rooms," Maude replied. She paused, reaching for a set of keys from her waist and quickly found the one she needed. "Ye both be quiet now. Yer not ta disturb tha Master."  
  
Scarlett and Cover Girl watched hesitantly, unsure of what they'd find on the other side of the heavy door at the end. They watched the older woman turn the lock and push the door; opening it with a creaking protest to reveal a vast hall filled with antique armor suits and weaponry along the walls. A huge fire was burning at the other end of the hall.  
  
"Oh, my God...I've died and gone to Camelot." Cover Girl gasped, surveying the hall before pausing on Scarlett's upturned face. Scarlett, too, was surveying the collection on the wall; her eyes trained on an old crossbow.   
  
"Ladies," Donovan's voice broke their concentration. "Your rooms are this way." He stood with his hand on the mahogany railing of the staircase. Both Scarlett and Cover Girl's eyes traveled up along railing to the top of the staircase, stopping on a man standing there. He was tall, broad shouldered with a stance that commanded attention. The two women stared, trying to discern his features more clearly aside from his build and dark hair. He watched then turned away with a dismissive wave to Donovan.   
  
"Who's that?" Scarlett questioned, looking from the man turning to leave to Donovan.  
  
"That'd be, Master Gabriel," Maude replied with a broad smile. "Now, off wi' tha two of ye. We 'ave ta git ye lasses settled."  
  
Donovan allowed the women to pass him.  
  
Cover Girl was following Scarlett to the top of the stairs when she felt Rory's hand clamp down on her shoulder. "What now?" She grumbled under her breath.  
  
"Yer ta wait `ere, lass," Maude said, reaching for her keys. "I've gotta git tha other lass settled in `er room. Ye wait `ere wit' Rory an' Donovan."  
  
"But..."  
  
"She'll be fine, no one will `arm `er." Maude smiled reassuringly before she turned down the hall, leaving Cover Girl to strain to see which room.  
  
"Don't be getting any ideas," Rory warned, tightening his hand on her shoulder and yanking her back.  
  
"I'm not the one with an alpha male complex," she snapped, shaking her shoulder away from his grasp.  
  
"Rory, go see to the security cameras outside." Donovan intervened, pulling Rorys' hand from her shoulder.  
  
"Keep it up, I can see no one's ever taught you your place." Rory snarled, stalking off towards the stairs.  
  
"Oh, I..."  
  
"Are you always so argumentative?" Donovan shook his head, placing his hand on Cover Girl's upper arm and leading her away from the stairs.  
  
"Actually, most enjoy my sunny disposition." Cover Girl smirked, rubbing her wrists. "Who are you? And, why were we captured?" She glared up at him with icy blue eyes.  
  
"You're not going to be here long...think of it as a short visit." He spotted Maude, returning and turned Cover Girl around to face her.  
  
"Just visiting? Right?" She snorted.  
  
"I got tha other lass settled," Maude called out, approaching the pair. "Yer room's just down the hall," she stepped ahead of them, leading them in the opposite direction of Scarlett's room.   
  
Cover Girl scanned the hallways, looking for lapses in their security. She noted there weren't any cameras on this level. Suppressing a grin, she looked back over her shoulder. "This place is a joke." She laughed to herself. "I'll just wait my time and spring Red."  
  
"This is yer room," she heard Maude's voice, interrupting her thoughts.  
  
"Huh?" Cover Girl stammered, feeling herself shoved forward into the room. "You're joking, right?" She was stunned at the opulence of the room. Walking towards the center of the room, her footsteps were cushioned by the deep plush carpeting. "Wow," Cover Girl remarked, resting her hand on one of the posts of the massive four posted bed piled high with pillows, allowing her eyes to roam over the stonewalls covered with ornate wall coverings.   
  
"Nay, this is yers." Maude stepped past her, flinging the closets open. "I've placed a few of tha lady's things in `ere fer ye. The bath is through those doors." She pointed. "Now, we mus' be off. I'll be back shortly ta check yer wrists, lass."  
  
Cover Girl didn't realize they had left until she heard the door lock turn. She ran to the door, tugging on the handle. "Damn it! It's locked," she groaned, falling back against the door. She rolled her eyes back, scanning the room. Her eyes fell on the drapes, wafting   
  
open with a breeze. "Too easy," she chuckled softly, racing towards the windows. She parted the drapery panels, revealing bars across the windows. "Damn them to hell!" She fumed, grasping the bars in her fingers until her knuckles whitened. She shook the bars in her hands to no avail. "Arghh," she sighed, hanging her head down.   
  
************   
  
"Did you check each of these names against the base personnel rosters?" Duke asked Law, running his index finger down each column of the MPs logs for the day of disappearance.   
  
"I checked," Law replied, cradling Order's muzzle as it rocked against his palm for begging for attention. "Easy, boy," Law coaxed the dog, running his hand down the from the dog's muzzle to his ribs where he vigorously roughed Order's coat. "Down," Law commanded, prompting Order to lie down with his head over his front paws while he waited.   
  
Duke and Law continued going over the log, oblivious to the man rushing towards them.   
  
Perking his ears up, Order gave a low growl and snapped to blocking his handler from the intruder. "Order?" Law grappled for his harness, holding him back. "Easy boy." Law glanced over his shoulder in the direction Order was pointing. "Ah...Duke, looks like..."  
  
"Sergeant Hauser! Sergeant Hauser!" The man yelled out causing Duke to bolt his head up, turning to locate the source. He narrowed his eyes on the man rapidly approaching with a microphone waving in the air.  
  
"What the hell is going on? Is that a reporter? I told you no one gets on the base!" Duke snarled, slamming the logs shut.  
  
"I told the MPs at the gate." Law braced at Duke's scowl while hauling Order to heel.  
  
"Then how did they get inside?" Duke fumed, tucking the logs under his arm before stalking forward towards the reporter with his free arm extended and his hand palm side out in an attempt to block the camera. "Shut those cameras off! Seize the film!" Duke barked at the MPs chasing the reporter and his camera crew.  
  
"Sergeant Hauser, Duke, Hector Ramirez of 20 Questions," the reporter introduced himself with a mic leveled to Duke. "What can you tell us about the murder that took place here, yesterday?"  
  
"No comment, Mr. Ramirez." Duke blanched, recalling his last encounter with the man. He absent-mindedly brushed his cheek with the back of his hand.  
  
"Then you can't tell us about the delivery truck found abandoned at the airport?"   
  
"Delivery truck?" Duke flashed a queried look to Law.  
  
"A white laundry truck actually." Ramirez leveled his mic closer. "We have pictures." He snapped his head towards his producer, stepping forward with a file in hand.  
  
"When?" Duke lowered his voice to a dangerous growl, snatching the pictures from the producer's hands.  
  
"Can you tell us anything about yesterday's incident?" Ramirez raised a brow, watching Duke flipping through the stack of pictures quickly before shoving the file under his arm beneath the logs.  
  
"I can tell you this much," Duke said with a scowl, pushing the mic to the side with his free hand, "your team has interfered with a criminal investigation, jeopardizing national security. So, Mr. Ramirez unless you want to spend some time preparing your memoirs from behind the bars of a six by eight cell, I suggest you hand over all your information now."  
  
"But?"  
  
"But nothing, you there," Duke summoned two MPs closer. "Show Mr. Ramirez to the brig."  
  
"Wait...wait...you can't do this. Freedom of the press!" Ramirez flinched back, avoiding the soldiers.  
  
"ORDER!" Law snapped, pointing towards Ramirez. The german sherpard sprang forth, baring his teeth as he blocked the reporter's retreat.  
  
"N-nice doggy." Ramirez cringed back, raising his shaking hands. "Call him off! We'll give you the tapes!"  
  
"That's more like it." Duke smirked, snatching the proffered tape from the cameraman. "Now, Mr. Ramirez, why don't you come inside and we'll discuss what you've learned?" He slapped the man on the shoulder, leading him towards his temporary office.  
  
"You know I'll get you back for this," Ramirez muttered under his breath.  
  
"Me? I doubt that." Duke shrugged, pulling the door open.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yep, especially if you cooperate, I'll make sure you get the exclusive once the report's released." Duke nodded, taking a seat opposite Ramirez. He noticed Ramirez taking the bait. The man's mind was salivating at the possible awards he could earn with an exclusive.  
  
"That shouldn't be a problem." Ramirez grinned, settling himself comfortably in his chair. "I'll call my producer and have her pull everything for you, Duke."  
  
"That would be much appreciated." Duke grinned back as he thought, "I've got you just where I want you." 


	3. Predators

Disclaimers: See chapter 1.  
  
Predators  
  
******************************************************************  
  
"Beautiful." Lady Jaye wistfully sighed at small herd of zebras grazing peacefully on the grasslands. She inhaled the fresh air with a contemplative measure, assessing her angle before smiling to herself. The soft breeze that lightly caressed the grasslands created a sense of tranquility, one that would provide her with the perfect backdrop for her shot.   
  
"Just a little closer," Lady Jaye cautioned herself as she crouched lower, blending in perfectly with her surroundings. She leveled her sites on them. Adjusting the lens of her canon rebel, she steadied her shot with an elbow poised on her knee and commenced snapping frames. Shifting back gradually, she expanded her view of her subjects' area, panning across the plains to a single zebra colt with its' stripes more brown than black.   
  
She watched the colt wanderer farther from the herd. Tentatively advancing her lens inward, Lady Jaye twisted its barrel back and forth until she captured it just so, bringing it into focus when it stopped to graze near one of the few scattered trees lying between her and the dense brush across her field of view. The right corner of her mouth twitched up as her eye scrutinized the young colt through her lens.   
  
"Uh oh," Lady Jaye muttered, "looks like your mama has other ideas." She chuckled softly at the sight of the colt's dame rapidly approaching. The dame butted her muzzle against the colt's neck, turning it back to the herd with a snort.  
  
The grasslands weren't only breathtakingly beautiful; they were also deadly. A land that could both captivated and thrilled an innocent tourist could easily lure one into unknown dangers.   
  
*Crunch.... snap* The sound behind her sent the herd dispersing for refuge while startling her.  
  
Adrenaline pumping, her fight or flight mechanism instantly kicking in; she whipped around grasping a javelin from her pack. "Andre," she groaned, slouching her shoulders slightly with relief. She rose to face the intruder, her guide. "That was the ....."  
  
"My apologies, Mlle Hart-Burnett." His French accent flowed smoothly as he offered an arm to assist her. In his other arm, he carried a high-powered rifle. "The other guides spotted a pride of lions to the east." Andre pointed towards the sky where a pack of vultures circled, waiting for their share of the feast. "I know you asked earlier...."  
  
"Yes," she interrupted. Her eyes beamed up at him, eager to see the lions. "I just need a moment to get myself in order." She dropped to one knee, checking her camera. "One shot left." She smirked, raising the lens. "Smile, Andre." She winked, firing off the last frame. "I told you I'd get you once before we left." She opened the back of the camera, removing the spent roll and reloaded it before dropping the finished roll into her bag.   
  
Accepting his hand, Lady Jaye stood to join him as he pulled her up beside him. She shuddered as Andre released her hand; a coldness she hadn't expected engulfed her, sending chills along her spine. Brushing away the goose bumps, she observed him carefully taking in his pale blonde hair and dark brown eyes.   
  
"Yes, you did, Mademoiselle." Andre laughed, breaking her train of thought. She watched him remove his hat for a moment and draw a red bandana from his back pocket.   
  
"Mon Dieu," he heaved an irritable groan as he raised the bandana to his forehead and wiped the sweat down from his brow, sweeping across his jaw and down along his jugular. The skin at the base of his shirt collar was fair unlike the rest of him. Drifting her eyes down to his hand holding the bandana, she noted his skin was a deep golden tan, weathered from years of exposure.   
  
"Mlle Hart-Burnett?" He questioned her studious expression.  
  
"Huh?" She blinked, shaking her head.  
  
"Is something wrong?"  
  
"Uh...no," she replied, averting her eyes. She looked to the sky, shielding her eyes against the blazing sun with her right hand up, nearly saluting the sky as she turned her face up to the circling vultures.  
  
"We should be going if you're going to see the pride." Andre reached out gently taking hold of her elbow to guide her away from her observations.  
  
"You're right." She carefully extricated herself from his hold, once again feeling an odd sense of déjà vous. "Come on, I don't want to miss the pride." She forced a smile, running towards the Hummer. She dismissed her uneasy feeling.  
  
*****   
  
"Duke, this just came for you." Mainframe tapped on the door of his office before craning his head to the side, surveying the scene before him. Duke's usually organized office was in a severe state of disarray. His desk was cluttered with files and photos from the base. "Hurricane Hauser," Mainframe mumbled under his breath as he looked past the desk to a half-eaten sandwich resting on the ledge behind Duke. He noted Duke's jacket had been tossed precariously to the side, missing the hook on the wall. It laid on the floor in a heap right on top of his spare pair of boots.   
  
"Thanks," Duke gruffly replied. He closed the file he had been reading and tossed it onto the pile with the others. "More intel on the base?" He asked, rising from his desk.. Mainframe watched the master sergeant roll his shoulders forward and back to loosen up.   
  
"Maybe you should?" Mainframe started to suggest and stopped at the look in Duke's eyes. "Ok maybe not...ah...anything new?" Mainframe remembered the file beneath his arm and rushed to present it.  
  
"Nothing," Duke grumbled, raking his hand through his hair. He accepted the file from Mainframe and dropped it down in front of him, skimming the first page while he somehow found the seat of his chair.   
  
"Duke?" Mainframe asked, anxiously hoping for some news.  
  
Duke raised one hand, signaling Mainframe to remain silent while he perused the new file. Lifting one page, he noticed a stack of pictures inside an envelope and tore into it, pausing on one particular photo before returning to cover page. His eyes darted between Mainframe and the page.   
  
"Get Law and tell him to meet me outside, ASAP." Duke stood quickly, sending the chair toppling to the floor. "Call Ramirez and tell him I want to see him at the airport with the photographer that took these." He snatched a stack of photos, shoving them into Mainframe's chest as he rushed out the door.  
  
"Duke? Oh man." Mainframe looked to the open door. "Wait for me..."  
  
*****   
  
"Sgt. Hauser....ah.... Duke," Ramirez greeted him. Straightening his jacket with a quick tug downward before reaching up to the Windsor knot of his tie, Ramirez shot a look over his shoulder to his camera as Duke approached. "Ready for my exclusive," Ramirez called out, cueing the cameraman to start rolling film.   
  
"Not so fast, Ramirez!" Duke held up a hand, warding him and his crew off. "Where's the photographer?"  
  
"Miller!" Ramirez yelled, motioning for a lanky young man wearing a starched black vest and matching ball cap emblazoned with the '20 Questions' logo on both to join them.  
  
"Is this the man?" Duke scowled, observing a young college kid bumbling his way forward, tripping over his feet.  
  
"Yes." Ramirez shielded his hand over his eyes. "He's an intern," Ramirez groaned, the agitation dripping with each word. "Miller, get over here."  
  
"Yes, Sir?"   
  
"Take it easy kid. I need to ask you a few questions about these pictures and the van," Duke reassured him before calling out to Law. "Bring the van over here!" Duke pointed behind him. The sound of the engine turning over prompted him to raise his voice.  
  
"Now, I need to know EXACTLY what you saw when you opened the doors."  
  
"What I.... saw?" Miller gulped, fidgeting with his cap.  
  
"Yeah, tell me what you saw when you opened the doors to take the photos." Duke slowed his words, taking in the intern's nervous state. "Since we didn't process the van, its been wiped clean so ANYTHING you could tell us would be helpful." His voice calming, he rested a hand on Miller's shoulder.  
  
"Sure." The man pursed his lips, placing his hands in his pockets. Slowly rocking on his feet, he looked from Ramirez who gave a short bob of the head for him to cooperate. "What would you like to know, sir?"  
  
"It's Duke." Duke dryly corrected him. "I need to know which set of these pictures you took." He handed the intern two sets of photos.   
  
"These." Miller tapped one folder on top of the other, eyeing Duke carefully as a sigh of relief washed over his face.  
  
Swiping his hand along his jaw, Duke thought for a moment then reached to take the other set and passed it to Law. Turing his attention to one photo in particular, he circled his finger around a man. "Do you know who this is?"  
  
"Nah, never saw him before I took the pictures." Miller shrugged, tilting his head towards the van. "He offered to give me a hand, opening the doors while I walked around taking shots...I thought he was being helpful."  
  
"Helpful, huh?" Duke asked, prompting Miller for more.  
  
"I had problems getting the latch open in the back and he got it open."  
  
"Law, open the van. Mr. Miller, can you tell us if the van is the same as the last time you saw it?" Duke prodded him forward with a firm hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Yeah, it looks the same... I guess." Miller scratched his head behind his ear while looking down at the asphalt.  
  
"You guess? You're not sure?" A layer of irritation rose in Duke's voice immediately gaining the intern's full attention.  
  
"Well, it's been a few days." Miller fidgeted, smoothing his hand along his vest, toying with a small object in his pocket.  
  
"What's that, amigo?" Law grabbed his hand, drawing it away from the pocket.  
  
"I...ah..."  
  
"Duke, you better check this out." Law scowled, opening Miller's closed fist.  
  
"What is it, Law?"  
  
"A button."  
  
"Let me see." Duke rolled the button side-to-side with his finger, examining it from all sides. An image flashed before his eyes, Cover Girl's jacket has these buttons; he narrowed his eyes on the photographer's face. "Where did you get this?"  
  
"I...ah..."  
  
"WHERE?!" Duke roared, drawing him up by the vest. Law and Ramirez clambered to separate Duke from Miller.  
  
"Easy boss!" Law pulled him back while Ramirez held Miller.  
  
"You're crazy..." Miller gasped, staggering backwards.  
  
"You've got five seconds to tell me where you got that button. It's standard Army issue!" Duke fumed, wrenching his arm free of Law.  
  
"Where?" Ramirez asked, nudging Miller forward.  
  
"It stuck me in the knee while I was inside the van. I didn't think anything of it at the time. I thought it was kinda cool so I put it in my pocket." Miller rushed, shying his in eyes downward purposefully to avert Duke's angry glare.  
  
"Duke?" Ramirez questioned, eyeing Miller.  
  
"I can't tell you, yet. This can't go any farther than us." Duke hung his head walking back towards the open van.  
  
"Duke? If that guy was so 'helpful'?" Law followed him, resting a hand on the door.  
  
"Yeah?" Duke lifted his head, running his hand over the back of his neck.  
  
"Then he'll be back," Duke and Law said to one another.  
  
"Ramirez....I need the negative of this photo, ASAP!" Duke stalked towards him with the photo of the stranger clutched in his hand.   
  
"Negative?" Ramirez closed his hand over the photo as Duke shoved it into his chest.  
  
"I need that photo blown up and distributed. Who ever he is...he knows where Cover Girl is." Duke reasoned to Law while Ramirez stood dumbfounded, scratching his head. "And if he knows where Cover Girl is, he knows where you are Red," Duke thought to himself, looking towards the sky.   
  
*****   
  
"Careful mademoiselle," Andre cautioned as they moved forward. "They may be enjoying their feast but they're always in search of new prey."  
  
"Beautiful but deadly," she agreed, raising her camera. "Just look at you, big boy," Lady Jaye mused, photographing the male lion lazily nawling a wildebeest's leg. "A feast for a king indeed." She crept closer. With her clothing camouflaging her, she was oblivious to the pride.  
  
"Yes, mademoiselle, they're beautiful but they're not the only predators here." Andre grasped her shoulder. 


End file.
